Sometimes the heart just wants what it wants. If you are of a certain age (like me) you may recall…read morethat most Chinese restaurants in North America served what was called 'American Chinese' (or as I call it, 'Gringo Chinese') cuisine. This was essentially Cantonese style cooking modified to suit American tastes and ingredient availability. These establishments also had a distinctive look to them, offering a sort of 'Disneyfied' view of Chinese decor and culture. As the world has become smaller and we have become more culinarily sophisticated, these restaurants have largely fallen out of favor, but there are still a few gems to be found. One such gem exists in a truly unlikely spot: a quite backwater Canadian village called Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island. WHO SHOULD GO: Anyone who just wants some great OG American-Chinese chow. Culinary historians who would like to take a tasty trip down 'memory lane'. WHO SHOULD NOT GO: Snobby, pretentious, self-identifying 'foodies'. THE ROSES: Located on the Cowichan Bay waterfront, the Kim Wah is very spacious and clean. All the 'usual suspects' are represented on the menu: Sweet-and-sour pork, Chow Mein, etc. Dishes are available 'family style', and in set combination meals for one or more diners. Prices are reasonable, and portions are generous. Service is efficient. THE THORNS: There are some odd omissions in the details. I wanted some hot mustard to dip in, and they didn't have any. TOP TIP FOR KIM WAH: Go ahead and seriously 'Lean In' on the retro American-Chinese vibe. You've already got most of the accoutrements of a classic OG Am-Chinese joint, so go all the way. Get the paper place mats with the Chinese Zodiac on them! You know you want to! And feel free to go crazy with the red and gold 'Chinese New Year' decor. What little decor you have seems a bit spare. THE VERDICT: Whether you dine in or are getting takeout to carry to your boat at the nearby marina, the Kim Wah Restaurant is a delightful and tasty throwback to a simpler time. Recommend!

Terrible food and owner service. Waitress was congenital and polite but the kitchen staff who…read morebrought me the food were rude. Food and I'm sure was left over from previous days, was inedible. Unfortunately I used "take out" and had arrived at home before seeing and tasting the poor quality. I threw all of it out.

Great food. Reasonable. Wish there was table service and not just take out. Reasonable parking for…read moretake out and very friendly staff.

I give a five star rating based on owner friendliness alone. I got take out as the restaurant is…read morenot open due to staff shortages. I have yet to taste the food but will as soon as I get home! More reviews to follow. The food smells divine. (Later) Well I had the food and was disappointed with one of the dishes (Seafood and Vegetables chow funn). I won't order it again! All noodles with a smattering of seafood and vegetables. All for the outrageous price of 17.95! The honey garlic pork was ok. Nothing to write home about. Not sure if I will give them another try or not! It's out of my way to travel by bus and so far, I'm not impressed.

"Tell them Logan sent you" [Chemainus BC]…read more I guess not very many people Yelp around this seaside community south of Vancouver Island. On a Sunday afternoon we were looking for a place to eat in Chemainus but everything seems to be closed. We ended up at a local market to inquire and the tall young cashier named Logan directed us to this restaurant. We thanked him and he told my husband to tell them "Logan sent you." Sure enough the tiny restaurant was open for business. It was a rainy Sunday but we were able to find street parking directly in front of it. The food selection was very limited like only 10 items on a one page menu. A sweet American lady took our order: * Beef Broccoli w/ Steamed Rice Combo * Wonton Noodle It was like eating at my mom's home. A plateful of broccoli w/ beef and rice. The broccoli was fresh and the meat was tender and it filled me up nicely. Saw hubby put a lot of spice to add some flavor to his wonton soup. Our server was great. We paid for our lunch at the front counter and before we left she mentioned Logan. She didn't forget ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Review #3157

Brought our hungry teenage kids here to the island for the first time for Spring Break and we love…read morethis place! Huge portions, great prices, fresh & full of flavor, service was so small town friendly and place was quaint & reminded me of growing up in my hometown of Nothern BC. Definitely visit if you are in the area for authentic Chinese Canadian food.

All good food , easy parking and its our spot for Chinese food in Nanaimo. Xmas dinner will be…read morethere. Save some shrimp

I've been having an odd craving for buffet Chinese food and kept wanting to try this new place out!…read moreDriftwood is a chain buffet restaurant on Vancouver Island with Nanaimo being it's 4th location. It opened earlier this year and I've heard many great things about it... So here we are! We got here shortly after they opened for lunch on a snowy Sunday. It was half full of people and after we sat down, more people streamed in. A nice spacious seating area. Onto the food! They had a good selection of food, but refilling the items was a bit delayed. Food was fresh and above average quality for buffets, I was surprised. The lunch buffet is $19.95 for ages 13+, and included dim sum. Dim sum was as expected, but not bad for being in a steamer for a long time. I really enjoyed the Singaporean rice noodles, chicken wings, and butter shrimp. Jello was a bit bland, but I like how the portions for dessert are bite-sized, easier to gauge how much I can eat after stuffing myself on the main food items! Overall the food tasted authentic, although a bit salty. Staff were friendly and helpful.

I haven't been to phoenix in a while but I went for the first time in a long while, 6 years or so,…read moreabout 2 months ago and it's now a weekly visit! This is what I like to call dirty Chinese food! And no I don't mean that in a negative way what so ever. I mean it in that it's extremely authentic with probably too much MSG but that's what I like. Haha it's absolutely delicious!! And hits the spot every time and very very affordable! My favourite order is: chicken chow main, pork fried rice, ginger chicken and sweet and sour chicken balls. You get all that for around $50+- which is a steal of a deal!

The staff working this restaurant are incredibly friendly and helpful, smooth order taking over the…read morephone. The establishment used to be a bowling alley, the building itself looks like it, perhaps even a 1970s area curling rink feel to it. Food was piping hot and the price point is cheaper than other options in the area. Picked up a take out order on the Friday, right before the end of the year. Food was average, as some dishes were a real hit and others were less than popular at the table. The Good: Sweet and Sour Pork + Vegetable Lo Mein -Sweet and Sour Pork was some of the best out there -Vegetable Lo Mein was practically perfect but missing the toasted Sesame Oil points that you would want in the dish The Mid: Szechuan Prawns + Hot and Sour Soup -Szechuan Prawns were heckin' spicy but that was the only real taste note -Hot and Sour Soup was tasty but had literally no Sour in it The Least Popular: Ginger Beef -Ginger Beef was overcooked and the coating was heavily corn-starchy Overall, this review is sitting at 3 stars, if I could award a half star I would be giving them 3.5 / 5 for sure. Like I would eat here again, but my expectations would remain about the same.

Our family regularly enjoy our outings at this restaurant. Great service and the food is very…read morefresh. I'd love to see the smorgasbord come back. It would be a five rating if this was there.

We have ordered here for years, its good food, fresh and good portions, a bit pricey but so is…read moreeverywhere else.

The food in this place is excellent. It has that tasty Canadianized Chinese food and it is well…read moreprepared and delicious. I found myself going "mmmmm" The egg rolls are amazing, it's becoming harder to find egg rolls (different from spring rolls) theirs are crunchy and filling, with the perfect amount of batter. the deep fried pork cooked to perfection. The prices are reasonably and the Buffett is fresh and constantly moving. I'm so glad I ate here!

Great food, fantastic service. We decided to splash out and order WAY too much food on a recent…read moretrip to Sidney. No regrets at all. My partner and I agreed that this is some of the best Chinese food we've had. Sauces are made in house, and they use high quality ingredients. The gentleman who served us was absolutely amazing and super informative and helpful. We both left very happy.

Came here because we were visiting the Garden and wanted Chinese food. The food was very good, and…read morethe waiter was helpful with seasonal dishes! Had the beef flat rice noodles, sesame chicken, hollow stem vegetables, ginger scallion beef.